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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    Published: May 3, 2016 · Last modified: Apr 26, 2022 by Leslie Kiszka / This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote
    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    Perfectly dense and moist chocolate zucchini cupcakes packed with grated zucchini and topped with insanely addictive Biscoff cookie butter frosting! Want to try more “hidden veggie” desserts? Check out my chocolate beet cake.

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    I’m back! Sorry for the month-long hiatus, things got cu-raa-zy. New job, drastic new commute, fun new obligations, super-fun new sickness. Yeaaaaaah. I had a slow buildup of a cold for about a week and then I woke up one morning and BAM – full fledged flu.

    So, I’ve been a pathetic ball of mucus for a bit and who wants baked goods covered in germs? Not I, and (I would assume) not you, either!

    I figured a good reintroduction to the real world would be cupcakes full of veggies – well, a veggie: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes! I feel like I’m forgetting something… oh right, the frosting. Cookie Butter frosting. OH YEAH.

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    That’s right: Cookie butter frosting

    You see that? That’s no ordinary buttercream frosting. That right there is cookie butter buttercream frosting. Creamy, sweet and with a hint of that signature cookie butter gingerbread-ish flavor.

    If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this post about the Biscoff gift pack that I received. First of all, that was AWESOME. Second of all, The Biscoff  Cookie & Spread cookbook is full of all sorts of stuff that makes me drool all over its pretty, pretty pages. I found a recipe for this frosting in the book and I was inspired to find the perfect pairing on which to pipe that gorgeous frosting.

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    Good news: this is easily made vegan-friendly!

    I wanted the recipe to be vegan-friendly because lots of people have requested more vegan recipes, and I want to give the people what they want!

    This recipe is easily made vegan by substtituing:

    • applesauce in place of eggs
    • vegan yogurt for the regular yogurt
    • Earth Balance vegan butter for the unsalted butter

    And I bet you didn’t realize that Biscoff Cookie Butter was vegan, did ya? And so are the cookies themselves!

    So, that basically gives you the right to put those cookies all over everything – and that’s exactly what I did.

    Biscoff cookies crumbled on top…

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    Whole Biscoff cookies shoved into the frosting…

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    …yeah. I make good decisions. You should make as equally good a decision and make these immediately.

    Tip for using shredded zucchini

    Here’s a tip: Squeeze the excess liquid out of the shredded zucchini, but save it until you’ve put the cupcakes in the oven. Why, you ask?

    Because if you find that your batter is too dry, you can add it back in, a little at a time. No additional ingredients needed!

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!

    Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

    5 from 1 vote
    Perfectly dense and moist chocolate cupcakes packed with zucchini and topped with insanely addictive cookie butter frosting!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 10 to 12 cupcakes
        ✓ Read the recipe from beginning to end
          ✓ Check oven calibration
            ✓ Check expiration dates
              ✓ Properly measure ingredients
                ✓ Check butter temperature

    Recommended Equipment

    • Muffin/cupcake tin

    Ingredients
     
     

    Cupcakes:

    • 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeeze out any excess liquid
    • 1 cup whole wheat flour
    • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • Pinch of salt
    • ½ cup coconut sugar
    • 2 egg, or ½ cup applesauce
    • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
    • ⅓ cup plain non-fat yogurt, or vegan yogurt
    • ¼ cup coconut milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Frosting (adapted from The Biscoff Cookie & Spread cookbook):

    • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
    • ½ cup Biscoff Creamy Cookie Butter
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • Coconut milk to thin it out, as needed
    • Crushed Biscoff cookies, for garnish

    Instructions
     

    Cupcakes:

    • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with 10-12 baking cups (and spray the inside of the cups with cooking spray for good measure). Set aside.
    • Shred zucchini and place in a colander lined with cheesecloth or paper towels over a bowl to catch the liquid. Gently press the zucchini to squeeze out excess moisture. Don’t toss the leftover liquid just yet!
      1 cup shredded zucchini
    • In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
      1 cup whole wheat flour | ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder | 1 teaspoon espresso powder | 1 teaspoon baking soda | Pinch of salt
    • In a separate large bowl, beat together the sugar, applesauce and oil until completely combined.
      ½ cup coconut sugar | 2 egg | 2 tablespoons coconut oil
    • Add yogurt, milk, and vanilla and beat until just combined.
      ⅓ cup plain non-fat yogurt | ¼ cup coconut milk | 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until just combined.
    • Add shredded zucchini and stir to combine. If you’re batter feels too dry, add some of the leftover zucchini liquid (a little at a time) and stir to combine.
    • Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners until they are about ¾ full (a little less if you want to stretch the batter to 12 cupcakes).
    • Place the cupcakes on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).
    • Remove from oven and let cool in pan for a couple minutes before removing them and cooling completely on a wire rack.

    Frosting:

    • Beat butter and cookie butter on high speed until combined and smooth.
      ¼ cup unsalted butter | ½ cup Biscoff Creamy Cookie Butter
    • Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
      ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • If the frosting is too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
      Coconut milk to thin it out
    • Frost cupcakes and top with crushed Biscoff cookies. Enjoy!
      Crushed Biscoff cookies

    Notes

    To make this recipe vegan: Easily made vegan by using applesauce in place of eggs and vegan yogurt in the cupcakes. For the frosting, simply substitute butter for Earth Balance!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Author Leslie Kiszka
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating!

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    About Leslie

    I'm the hot mess behind every recipe you see here! I use baking as an outlet for relieving stress and anxiety to provide you with approachable homemade recipes and a little humor, for good measure.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. L. Otis Biscoff

      June 18, 2016 at 7:02 pm

      I came here planning to write a totally not-trolling comment, but seeing that these are easily veganizable, my mind is too covered in cookie butter to think of anything. You win this round, cupcake master.

      Reply
      • lesliehaasch

        June 19, 2016 at 9:27 am

        [bows]

        Reply

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